Md. needs better laws to track pesticides

Having spent my career working to address the burden of disease in disadvantaged communities in central Maryland, I appreciated Del. Jim Hubbard and Hannah Pingree's op-ed ("Hold chemical companies to account," June 4). Maryland needs to be doing more to protect our most vulnerable citizens — the young, the old, those with fewer financial or educational resources — from toxic chemicals.

I've just read Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," written in 1962, which makes it clear how long Americans have been exposed to dangerous pesticides and other chemicals. While we are waiting the long wait for the federal government to protect us (as the European Union already has done for its citizens), let's continue to move forward in Maryland. We should pass bills next year that empower state agencies to track pesticide use and identify chemicals of concern to human health.